100 mpg carburator

[Rookie120 0]

So last night when I was at work I had to suffer through 3 hours of this guys ramblings about how we get screwed every time we buy gas and he said something I was wondering was just a myth or true. He said a guy back in the 70's designed a carb that could get 100mpg. But the oil companies bought the pantent and shelved it. I was wondering if it is true or just some loud mouth on a rant. I never responded to anything he said because I have never heard of such a thing and when I Googled it I still didnt get a clear answer.

Is it even possible to get something like a 100mpg carb to work? If so why hasnt so geek designed the damn thing. If it is true why cant the Govnt just take the damn patent and say it is the matter of national security. Hell they seem to take everything else I dont see what one more thing would hurt.

If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

[billvon 3,006]

>Is it even possible to get something like a 100mpg carb to work?

Can you put a 100mpg carb on a Ford Explorer? No, Explorers don't use carburetors any more (most cars don't.)

Can you put a 100mpg carb on a 1970's era Ford? Nope, cars of that era took too much energy to push down the road.

Can you get a car today that gets 100mpg with some mods? Yes. Several people have modified Toyota Priuses to get over 100mpg. It's not just one part, of course. It's a system bolted on top of a car that already gets 60mpg.

Can you get a car today that gets 100mpg without mods? Sorta. Several people have driven Honda Insights and gotten 100+mph, but they take great care and don't go very fast.

All in all, there is no silver bullet. You can design a car that gets 100mpg, but you have to do it from the ground up. Tires, suspension, aerodynamics (and thus shape/style) engine type, hybrid assist, gearing etc all goes into the mileage you will get.

[NCclimber 0]

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Can you get a car today that gets 100mpg with some mods? Yes. Several people have modified Toyota Priuses to get over 100mpg. It's not just one part, of course. It's a system bolted on top of a car that already gets 60mpg.

Priuses get 60 mpg?

[billvon 3,006]

>Priuses get 60 mpg?

Their EPA rating is 60mpg city. I can get 60mpg if I'm careful, but I more commonly get 45-50mphg.

(Trivia - the EPA is changing its testing criteria to better match today's real-world highway speeds; this will tend to reduce most car's average gas mileage estimates.)

[idrankwhat 0]

The technology is out there. It's just not embraced as being as patriotic as a humvee.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_A2

[MDMA 0]

toyota Prius are for the gullable masses who want to be seen to be championing a cause...

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t=257685&hw=prius

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2006/11/11/mrmike11.xml

they're crap cars that are only as fuel efficent as a modern day diesel

[billvon 3,006]

Diesels are for the gullable masses who want to be seen to be championing a cause...

http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/big_rig_cleanup/life-of-soot-diesel-pollution-emissions-and-health-effects.html

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,148403,00.html

they're crap cars that are only as fuel efficent as a modern day hybrid

[Zipp0 1]

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toyota Prius are for the gullable masses who want to be seen to be championing a cause...

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t=257685&hw=prius

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2006/11/11/mrmike11.xml

they're crap cars that are only as fuel efficent as a modern day diesel

Those crap cars may arguably be the downfall of the American auto industry.

--------------------------
Chuck Norris doesn't do push-ups, he pushes the Earth down.

[rehmwa 2]

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Those crap cars may arguably be the downfall of the American auto industry.

Or... they may just reenergize the stagnant auto industry into something clever and new.

It's up to them.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[kelpdiver 2]

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they're crap cars that are only as fuel efficent as a modern day diesel

But with substantially cleaner emissions. Clean Air Act, anyone?

The 100mpg carb is a long running legend, dating back as far as the late 20s, a 200mpg unit by Charles Pogue. Oddly enough, he never allowed it to be inspected.

At this point, the oil makers would benefit from such a device as they could use it to effectively increase the paid demand without investing in new supply. And the car makers would be paying them handsomely for such a a device, as every 40mpg car allows them to sell more high margin SUVs.

[kelpdiver 2]

BTW, Mythbusters tried every one of the mail order
"increase your gas by XX percent with our $20 POS!"

None of them worked, some were negative.

[kallend 2,027]

www.snopes.com/autos/business/carburetor.asp

Lots of variations on the same myth.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[Gawain 0]

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The technology is out there. It's just not embraced as being as patriotic as a humvee.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_A2

Yes, it's called a three cylinder diesel engine. And the article says: "...under certain circumstances, consumption of just over 2 l/100 km (128 mpg, imperial gallon) is possible..."

I can get 60+mpg in a Ford Crown Victoria under certain circumstances too.

The issue isn't the technology, it's the regulation. The US has the toughest emissions and crash test ratings in the world. Diesel regs have grafted all but a few of the cars out of the US market, and those that remain (Mercedes) still can't meet all 50 states. The A2 also cost over £20,000 when all the papers were signed. It's all aluminum design wasn't cheap. Bang for the buck was low.

Owners apparently are very loyal to them though. Would the car make it here? Perhaps, but diesel regs will not allow us to find out.

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[quade 4]

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Is it even possible to get something like a 100mpg carb to work?

In a super-efficient, streamlined vehicle, purpose built for the sole goal of going 100 miles on a single gallon of gas; yes.

In a normally aspirated, carburated, 3,000 ib., street legal car; no.

Anybody attempting to tell you otherwise is either a con-man or gullible.

On the other hand, if you abandon the "normal" concept of a car and substitute something smaller, then you can do considerably better than the equivalent of 100 mpg. Of course, your friend and co-workers might laugh at you, and at certain times of the year or day you may still need a "normal" car, so, that's enough to stop most people.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[ryoder 1,590]

It's time to update that old wives tale to the "100 mpg fuel-injection". Carbs are pretty much gone, and good-riddance. Devices that make the assumption that air-velocity is directly proportional to air-density have no place in the 21st century. I still remember (not fondly) having a Jeep that purred like a kitten at 800'MSL, then driving it up to a ski area at 9000'MSL where it ran like an unbalanced washing machine.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[georgerussia 0]

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He said a guy back in the 70's designed a carb that could get 100mpg. But the oil companies bought the pantent and shelved it.

If there was such a patent, the information about it would be available for everyone through the Bureau. You cannot get a patent, and still keep it confidential.

* Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

[georgerussia 0]

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Can you get a car today that gets 100mpg without mods? Sorta. Several people have driven Honda Insights and gotten 100+mph, but they take great care and don't go very fast.

AFAIK the 100mpg was their top, not average. And it required some artifical forces to get to this level.

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All in all, there is no silver bullet. You can design a car that gets 100mpg, but you have to do it from the ground up.

And the cost of this car will most likely exceed the cost of saved gas even if gas costs $6/gallon.

* Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

[FrancoR 0]

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Diesels are for the gullable masses who want to be seen to be championing a cause...

http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/big_rig_cleanup/life-of-soot-diesel-pollution-emissions-and-health-effects.html

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,148403,00.html

they're crap cars that are only as fuel efficent as a modern day hybrid

Have you ever driven one of those crap cars? American Diesels are crap i agree, they seem to have engine technology from the 80s, that was a time when german auto manufacurers also made crapy diesels. Times have changed and with recent advancements in Diesel Engine Technology Diesels will come to the US in the next two years. What has been keeping them all except Volkswagen off the market is that they could not be sold in all 50 states, that is beein solved with the next generation of Diesels.

If it does not cost anything you are the product.

[Gawain 0]

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Diesels are for the gullable masses who want to be seen to be championing a cause...

http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/big_rig_cleanup/life-of-soot-diesel-pollution-emissions-and-health-effects.html

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,148403,00.html

they're crap cars that are only as fuel efficent as a modern day hybrid

Have you ever driven one of those crap cars? American Diesels are crap i agree, they seem to have engine technology from the 80s, that was a time when german auto manufacurers also made crapy diesels. Times have changed and with recent advancements in Diesel Engine Technology Diesels will come to the US in the next two years. What has been keeping them all except Volkswagen off the market is that they could not be sold in all 50 states, that is beein solved with the next generation of Diesels.

That is not correct. Even the BluTec Diesels from Diamler and VW are only "45-state" engines.

American automakers haven't put a diesel in a car since the 80s. American heavy diesel engines are amongst the strongest in the world.

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[billvon 3,006]

>AFAIK the 100mpg was their top, not average. And it required
>some artifical forces to get to this level.

As I've mentioned, you can AVERAGE 100mpg with careful driving on many cars. It's been done on the Prius as well. (Average 109mpg over a tank of gas.) It requires careful driving.

The CalCars project, however, gets well over 100mpg with no extra care in driving. It does this by using an auxiliary battery bank, and a system that "fools" the car into thinking its internal battery is overcharged. The system tries to dump the extra power to the wheels, and the gas engine is almost never used.

>And the cost of this car will most likely exceed the cost of saved gas even if gas costs $6/gallon.

There's a range of technologies available. Some end up actually being cheaper because the raw material is cheaper (carbon fiber.) It's currently more expensive than steel because the process costs more, but the raw materials cost less. So once you're spun up, you see a cheaper car that gets significantly higher gas mileage. You can go down on engine size because you're accelerating far less mass, and you still get good performance. Amory Lovins has some good notes on these designs.

[billvon 3,006]

>Have you ever driven one of those crap cars?

Yes, I was using the literary device called sarcasm, always a danger around here. Diesels are good engines, and a diesel hybrid based on EPA 07 diesel emissions standards might well push 100mpg even with current technology - and be relatively clean.

[georgerussia 0]

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As I've mentioned, you can AVERAGE 100mpg with careful driving on many cars. It's been done on the Prius as well. (Average 109mpg over a tank of gas.) It requires careful driving.

That's what I call "artifical forces", like not using accelerator at all after traffic light is green, and not going over 25mph. However it only worked while the batteries are charged. When they lose the charge, the mpg drops dramatically.

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The CalCars project, however, gets well over 100mpg with no extra care in driving. It does this by using an auxiliary battery bank, and a system that "fools" the car into thinking its internal battery is overcharged.

Well, this car is technically not gas-powered anymore - because you have to charge this extra battery bank separately. This way any golf car could do 10,000mpg. Of course, this calculation is not correct; the car is supposed to be moving and only pumping gas to qualify for mpg.

* Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

[billvon 3,006]

>That's what I call "artifical forces", like not using accelerator at all
>after traffic light is green, and not going over 25mph.

45-50mph actually; the Prius is most efficient around those speeds.

>However it only worked while the batteries are charged. When they lose the
>charge, the mpg drops dramatically.

Nope. They did this for over 1000 miles (a tank of gas.)

>Well, this car is technically not gas-powered anymore - because you have
>to charge this extra battery bank separately. This way any golf car could
>do 10,000mpg.

Infinite actually.

>Of course, this calculation is not correct; the car is
>supposed to be moving and only pumping gas to qualify for mpg.

Whatever. We're talking about a way for a car to get 100mpg; this is one way. Indeed, if you travel only on secondary streets below 34mph, your mileage will be infinite; the engine will never start, and you will never need to buy gas. To go long distances or get on freeways etc the engine at least spins, which is why you get "only" 100mpg.

[mnealtx 0]

Bill -

Do you ever think we'll see an electric drive car? Hub-centric electric motors and a (very) small engine to drive the generator or perhaps keep a battery bank topped off is what I am thinking of in this instance.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[FrancoR 0]

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Have you ever driven one of those crap cars? American Diesels are crap i agree, they seem to have engine technology from the 80s, that was a time when german auto manufacurers also made crapy diesels. Times have changed and with recent advancements in Diesel Engine Technology Diesels will come to the US in the next two years. What has been keeping them all except Volkswagen off the market is that they could not be sold in all 50 states, that is beein solved with the next generation of Diesels.

That is not correct. Even the BluTec Diesels from Diamler and VW are only "45-state" engines.

American automakers haven't put a diesel in a car since the 80s. American heavy diesel engines are amongst the strongest in the world.

Ok, i might be off at the number of states, but you can be sure that manufacturers of good diesels are all working on getting their technological advancement in a market that is stuck in the 80s. Building an engine that is just strong is not the problem today, the problem is making it efficient and clean.

If it does not cost anything you are the product.